Usage and history

Affiliation

Various uniforms were worn by the officers and technicians of the martial forces of the Galactic Empire. Officers wore a gaberwool uniform consisting of a double-breasted tunic with a round collar and matching trousers, a pair of black boots, a belt and often times a command cap. Due to the nature of technicians' work, they wore more lightweight boilersuits, again with a belt and command cap. While free of medals and battle ribbons, officer's uniforms could feature a rank insignia plaque and up to four code cylinders in specifically designed pockets on the front of the tunic. Both uniforms could have officer's disks on both the belt buckle and command cap. They were designed as a replacement for the uniforms that had carried over from the previous government, the Galactic Republic. These designs remained in use for over two decades, but were eventually replaced when the Empire transitioned into the First Order.

"While I can appreciate devotion to one's sartorial programming, I've no interest in initiating a fashion trend on Coruscant or anywhere else. I simply want a uniform that fits. Especially the boots. The stars know, my feet have logged more kilometers aboard Star Destroyers than during surface deployments, even in a facility of this size."

The uniform jacket was a short skirted double breasted tunic[1] made of gaberwool[6] that fastened with snap closures on the inside.[10] The tunic featured a round choker collar and its skirt extended halfway between the hip and the knee. When closed, the tunic had a vertical left over right closure,[4] when its Clone Wars predecessor extended across the chest on one side and across the midsection on the other.[11] Additionally, the Imperial tunic generally lacked shoulder boards and epaulettes, as EmperorPalpatine believed that the use of such put more emphasis on status as opposed to duty.[1] Contrarily to the straight-legged Clone Wars-era trousers,[11] the redesigned ones were flared in the hips and thighs, narrowing at the cuffs so they could be more easily tucked into their wearers' boots.[1] There were laces and lace holes at the lower leg.[10] Officers wore a pair of black, durasteel-toed knee boots with turndown topside cuffs;[12] as Tarkin had stressed the importance of the boots fitting the wearer while designing the uniform, citing the significant distances he had walked while aboard Star Destroyers.[1]

Common additions to the uniform could include a brimmed command cap and a belt, both featuring an officer's disk.[1] Rank could be indicated by a Rank insignia plaque affixed to the tunic's left breast and a number of code cylinders could be carried in narrow pockets just below each shoulder.[8] Beneath their uniform, officers wore an off-white shirt.[13] Sometimes, the collar and sleeve cuffs of that shirt were slightly visible, protruding from under the tunic. Some officers also wore black gloves,[4] or even a cape.[3] Since EmperorPalpatine was scornful of commendations, there was no place for medals or battle ribbons on the uniform.[1]

Chief scientists in the Tarkin Initiative wore a uniform with a white patch over the neck and shoulders, and a symbol of the initiative on each arm. The tunic was also in one piece, and lacked the snap closures of the regular design.[9]

In potentially hostile situations, officers could wear field armor over their tunic, as well as a protective helmet and goggles similar to those worn by AT-ST drivers.[18] While this armor was dark-grey for officers wearing a regular uniform,[19] officers with different colored uniforms wore armor that reflected this differentially, such as Grand Admirals, who wore white armor, with golden shoulder boards similar to the ones on their regular tunic.[20]

For more rainy planets, officers wore another layer over their tunic, that would stop water getting in. The layer was the same color as the wearer's tunic and was made from a different material from the regular uniform, being more suitable for wet weather. It required the wearer to move their rank plaque and code cylinders to this new layer, although all cylinders now had to be on the right side of the wearer, whereas they would normally be on both sides.[9]

On colder worlds, an overcoat could be worn, that extended down to the tops of the wearers boots, with the wearer's belt on top.[9]

Officers belonging to certain fleets could occasionally wear that fleets symbol on their upper left arm. An example of this was the officers of the Seventh Fleet, who wore a symbol of a stylized chimaera, a creature heavily associated with Grand AdmiralThrawn, commander of the fleet.[21]

Imperial technicians wore a far more simple uniform. They wore lightweight boilersuits, with boots, a belt that was identical to the one worn by officers, and a command cap. Both the belt and the command cap would also feature officer's disks. Additionally, long metal cylinders were kept in special pockets on the suit's left arm. Pockets with covers were located on the opposite arm, and on the thighs. An Imperial crest was located above both shoulders, and a small metal panel with several buttons was on the left wrist. Headsets were often worn under the cap. The suits could come in light grey or black, and while the black variant had a matching black cap, they grey one could feature either a dark grey[19] or black cap.[4]

A deleted scene from A New Hope, clearly showing the difference between white and light-grey officers' uniforms.

The uniforms created for Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope varied in color, with some appearing to be a slightly lighter grey than others. White and light-grey uniforms were also made, both with black trousers. While the former has been identified to have been worn by members of the intelligence community,[16], the latter have yet to re-appear in any canon material.